Homeless Heart: a Date Masamune Love Story
by HiddenXEmotion
Summary: When Date Masamune comes across two women, wounded from battle, he didn't know what to expect. Both of them being as mysterious as possible and refusing to tell their story, he's even more shocked, and a bit annoyed, when he's left as the caretaker for the one called Natsumi. The woman is like a tiger, refusing to be ordered around and for some reason she perk's Date's curiosity...
1. Chapter 1

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE STORY!**

**_Chapter One_**

**_In all sizes_**

**Date Masamune was an enthusiastic man. **VERY enthusiastic. He was the energetic and fearless young ruler of the Date Clan, his newest nickname the One-Eyed Dragon taking a huge hit around the Clan and the others. This cocky and ambitious warlord was no leading his men back to their homes after a successful battle in a nearby village with bandits. He had thoughts of alcohol and food passing through his head as the rain pounded down on them. The rain didn't bother him, it washed all the blood off of him, but it also meant that he was going to have to spend tile in drying his armor off so he didn't receive rust on it. He was going to have to clean his swords as well, but he would worry about that after getting food in his stomach.

"Masamune,"

The voice made his head turn to the right. "What is it, Kojuro? Something wrong?"

Katakura Kojuro was the loyal retainer of Date, but also a brotherly and mentor-like figure for the One-Eyed Dragon. Older than Masamune, Kojuro was tall with long brown hair and matching eyes.

Date, on the other hand, was quite different. His left eye was blue, the other covered by the black eye-patch. Medium-long brown hair, he was dressed in an uncommon and original blue suit and a helmet with a golden crescent moon it the top.

"Call me strange, but there's just something in the wind."

"Something in the wind?" Date smirked. "Don't tell me you're getting old on me, Kojuro." The other man stayed silent. "Don't worry about it. You're just as tired as the rest of us."

Kojuro didn't say another word but wore a frown as the rain continued to pound on them and their horses. He had this strange feeling on his since they even left for the bandit ordeal. He wasn't sure what it was, but-"STOP!" He then shouted out, pulling his horse to a stop. The other's skidded behind him, the mud and water splattering everywhere.

"What is it, Boss?" He heard from behind him.

"Kojuro," Date had turned is horse around to look at his friend. "What's wrong?"

The answer was given by the forms that shot into the road. Date pulled a surprised look.

It was two women. Both with long black hair and wounded, only one of them seemed to be moving, holding the other to her as she stumbled closer. Date glanced around the find all the dead bodies splattered around the clearing that he hadn't even noticed before. He went to take a closer look but the walking woman cried out.

"Please!" She had moved closer to them, her eyes pleading. "You have to save her! Don't-don't let her die!" She was trying to hold the other woman out to the man but she couldn't. Date reached down and grabbed her in time for the other woman to fall backwards, her own wounds taking their toll. Kojuro caught her.

"What the hell did we just ride in on?" Date heard one of his men comment. He didn't have an answer. These two women had been attacked and it seemed, from the sword the woman in the hands of the woman he was holding and then the one on the hip with the one Kojuro held, that they had fought back, killing their attackers. They had taken some serious casualties themselves though, too.

"Trait…ors…" The word slipped from the woman's voice. Date raised a brow as he stared down at her. She was alive, but barely. She was probably going through the last moment visions. It wasn't often that you saw a female warrior. If she was going to die then it was going to be somewhere warm. "Let's go, boys! Double-time!"

It took them half-an-hour to get back to their main village and Kojuro instantly grabbed some of the women that knew about healing and bringing them to the room in Date's home where the wounded had been set up.

"Any ideas what the hell happened?"

Kojuro glanced at Date. They were standing outside of the room, waiting for the elders to tell them the results. Date wasn't sure about the one that he had been carrying…

"I'm not sure. When the raining stops, I'll send a few of the men out there to try and find out who it was."

"Good idea," Date pulled his helmet off and turned to move towards his own room. "Get some rest, Kojuro. And keep your fingers crossed."

He watched the leader of the clan move away before giving a short bow. "Of course."

_**~So I will fight my battle **_

_**till I fall **_

_**and I conquer them all**_

_**Till we conquer them all~**_

**Everything was sore and stiff. **She felt like she had been stabbed over and over and lost so much blood. It took a few moments before everything came back to her. Her being chased. The rain. The warriors that had caught her. The other woman.

"Keiko!" She shot up with the name being ripped from her mouth before a squeal of pain escaped behind it, making her fall back down to the bed.

The bed? Opening her eyes, she glanced around to find herself in a warm room; a nice room. It was empty next to the swords over in the corner and the woman beside her. "Keiko!" She reached over to the woman beside her but couldn't reach. She could see her chest moving though so at least she was alive. And she was bandaged too. "Thank God."

"I see you're awake."

The voice made her jump and she gave a wince of pain before turning her head to the figure that now stood in the open door. He must had heard her calling Keiko's name.

The man was tall with brown hair to his shoulders and a single blue eye; the other was covered with an eye-patch. He wore a small smile and was dressed in a kendo outfit.

Date took this moment to take in the woman that he had held to him two nights ago. She was young, early twenties maybe, with long black hair and sharp green eyes and pale skin.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her. She just stared at him. He smirked. "Dumb question, I know." He commented. "You had us worried there for a moment. Two nights and we didn't think that neither you nor your friend was going to make it." She glanced over at the other woman again. "You owe her, you know. She carried you out into the road. Almost got trampled by horses if Kojuro hadn't of seen you." Her reply was silence and he tried to keep his calm. "What's your name? You wanna tell me what happened?"

"Just stupid bandits, I guess…" She finally answered. "I don't know what happened…"

He would take that. At least she responded. "And your name?"

"Natsumi Nob…" Her voice stopped and she stared at the wall for a moment. "Natsumi Noba," she told him.

"Noba?" Date raised a brow. "I've never heard of that Clan before."

"Like you've heard of all of them!" She hissed, crossing her arms.

Date stared at her for a moment, a bit shocked at the sunder annoyance in her voice, but then gave a grin. "Settle down, tiger. Besides, you owe me so I'd be a bit nicer if I were you."

"I owe you?" She hissed. "I didn't ask for your help! I don't owe you anything!"

"If that's the way you feel, then be my guest to leave. I won't stop you." Date told her. Natsumi had turned her head to glare at the man. He gave a silent sigh. "Calm down, tiger. I'm not going to kick you out and I wouldn't let you leave after all the trouble my people did in taking care of your wounds so just rest up. I'll bring you something to eat. It's gonna take a while for you to heal…" He paused. "I'll send someone to help you eat."

"I can eat on my own," Natsumi told him, glancing away. "I don't need your pity."

Date stared at her for a moment before another grin spread across his face. He left the room in silence. Natsumi gave a sigh. She had gone through all that trouble to get away and be on her own and against she found herself unable to do anything.

"If I didn't know you any better, I would think that you're being rude because you're wounded."

Natsumi turned to look at the other woman. "Keiko," She gave a sigh of relief at the sight of the other woman sitting up. She must not have been as wounded as Natsumi was. Keiko was a few years older than Natsumi with black hair to her shoulders and brown eyes and light tan skin.

Keiko glanced at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was stabbed to death." She grunted. "You?"

"Like was I was branded a traitor; before I killed the bastards."

Natsumi gave a small smirk before slowly, trying to ignore the pain, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "Why did you save me?"

Keiko looked at the other woman like she was an idiot. "No matter what happens, I will choose to save you, just like you did me all those years ago, remember?"

Natsumi was silent for a moment, staring at her hands. "You know, for running after me, your boyfriend is going to be upset…"

Keiko gave a snort as she moved closer to her friend. "Yeah, and I hope he's ripping those bastards a new one right at this moment for not being smart enough to keep me from moving."

"Are…are you going to go back?"

"Of course I am. As long as he's there, then so am I." Keiko nodded. "I'll leave in a day or two. I'm not as wounded as you so I'll be fine."

Natsumi closed her eyes. "You chose my side, Keiko. You're going to be in trouble."

"No I won't. There was no one to go back and tell them what happened. For all they know, I got my ass-kicked by you before you disappeared. I don't know where you went. All I remember is an older woman and her daughter finding me and saving me before I was strong enough to return home." Keiko gave a sigh and leaned forward, placing her forehead against her friend's. "I wish that you would come back with me."

"I refuse," Natsumi turned her head and closed her eyes. "After all that happened…after what they did, what he did, I can't."

"I know that," Keiko closed her own eyes. "If you ever need anything, Natsumi, you know where to find me. And don't worry. If they try to find you, I will keep your trail cold."

"Why? It's not like I'll be staying here forever, you know."

"True, but you are wounded. Badly. Worse than I am. You'll be here for at least a month or two and then it'll be winter. Do you really want to travel in the snow?"

Natsumi pulled a face. "No, not really.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. You'll just have to forget everything and start over." Keiko gave a sigh and returned to her bed, leaning back down to get some more rest.

"Yeah," Natsumi turned her head as she leaned back down herself. ~But, I don't want too…~

Date pulled away from the door. He had heard all of it and that just made him more interested in the women that they had saved. He was interested in what had happened before but now he wanted to know more than ever. Such mysterious women.

~Well, a story comes in all sizes," he told himself with a grin. ~And I do love a good mystery~

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!**

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Proper Introductions**_

"**Are you sure that you have to go?"**

"Yes. Are you sure that you won't come back with me?"

"Yes. I…I can't return. You and I know what'll happen if I do."

"Take care, Natsumi. I'll come by sometime in the Winter so still be here, okay? Don't do anything stupid and try to run off until you're completely healed."

"You know I'm not that foolish, Keiko, though your worry gladdens. At least someone still cares."

"And always will."

"Take care, Keiko."

"You too." As Keiko slid to the door to the room shut she glanced over her shoulder at the two men standing on the walkway. "It is not polite to eavesdrop."

"No," Date gave a smile. "But when it is my house I believe that I can do anything and all that I please."

"Hmph," She glanced at the man beside the one in blue. "You are the one known as Kojuro, aren't you?"

"Yes," The man nodded.

Keiko gave him a short bow. "I thank you for saving us. If you had not stopped then I am sure that both of us would be dead. We both owe you our lives."

"I did what any other honorable soul would have done in that position," Kojuro told her.

"Are you truly planning to leave?" Date asked, arms crossed. "It is almost nightfall, you know."

"I know," Keiko straightened up. "But if I am gone for too much longer I believe there will be a panic caused at home."

"What are you, the leader's daughter or something?"

"No," Keiko shook her head. "My husband just doesn't like it when I'm not by his side for more than a day. He'll cause an uproar, which I'm sure he already has. There's no need to go into detail," She glanced back at the door before lowering her voice. "I leave Natsumi in your care. Please take care of her; she's very important to me. If she were to die after all of this," She glanced at the look on Date's face. "If you need payment to do it then I can bring you some when I return to check on her in the winter."

"It's not that," Date frowned. "I'd rather have answers onto why you were attacked. Am I bringing in a convict to hide in my home?"

"No, not at all!" Keiko shook her head. "Natsumi is anything but. Despite how rude she can be, she upholds justice more than anything. That's one of the reasons why…" Her voice fell for a moment. "It matters not. If you wish to have answers, then you'll have to get them from Natsumi. I will tell you nothing more." She turned to leave but paused, glancing back. "A bit of warning. Natsumi is not going to be very nice at first, maybe not ever to you, but don't hold it against her. She has her reasons, just don't try and make things worse; for your own sakes."

Date still wore a frown on his face as she walked away to a horse that they had waiting for her. It turned into a soft grin. "This could be fun."

"My Lord," Kojuro glanced at the other man. "Is this such a good idea? This could be a trap from the enemy."

"I don't think it's that," Date glanced at the room before them. "If it was, I doubt they would have tried to kill the two of them like they had. There's something much deeper going on here and I intend to find out." He took a step towards the door. "Go and bring the woman some soup, will you?"

Kojuro didn't like the thought of leaving Date alone with the woman, but nodded and did as asked. Date went to open the door before catching himself and giving a knock instead.

"You may enter."

Entering the room, Date had to admit that he was pleased that the wounded woman was sitting up against the border of the second door, staring out at his garden in a white robe. Her face and regained some color and she didn't look like she was knocking on death's door any longer. He grinned.

"I can see that you're healing well. I have to admit that I was worried there for a while."

"You shouldn't be," Natsumi turned her eyes back to the garden. "I will not fall to some wounds given by trivial bastards."

Date continued to smirk as he moved closer and took a seat himself. "Your friend, Keiko, has just left. Why did you not go with her?"

Natsumi glared at him, her green eyes alight with fire. "Do I possibly look able to ride a horse, let alone walk? Don't ask ridiculous questions."

"Now, you and I both know that that's not the real reason, now don't we?" Date's grin wider as she turned her gaze back to the garden. "I will not rip into you for answers while you're still this badly wounded but I do expect answers from you before you leave if I am to keep you in my home while you heal."

"I didn't ask to be brought here so just keep your nose out of my business," She growled at him. "I don't even know who you are so I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind."

"Young women such as yourself shouldn't have so sharp a tongue," The voice made them both turn to see Kojuro return with a tray of soup and bread.

Natsumi watched him in silence for a moment. "You're Katakura, right?"

"Kojuro, please," The man nodded, setting the food before her.

"I thank you for finding us," She then glanced at Date. "Both of you, I suppose."

"You suppose?" Date raised a brow. "Let's see if I carry you're bleeding ass anywhere again."

She glared at him. "And just who the hell are you?"

Kojuro cleared his throat, clearing seeing the fire that Keiko had been talking about earlier. She knew right away that Date and Natsumi would buttheads. "May I introduce Date Masamune, Lord of the Masamune Clan and-"

"The One-Eyed Dragon," Natsumi let the name right in her head. She had heard often of this man in her home. For him to be the one to save her…

"So, you have heard of me," Date grinned.

"I thought you'd be older," She shrugged as she turned to the food sitting before her. "For a brat your age to do what I have heard the One-Eyed Dragon to be capable of…"

"I can prove it to you if I need to," Date told her, his eye twitching.

"No need," She shook her head, tearing into the bread. "It wouldn't be worth it."

Date wasn't taking this much longer. "Hey, remember whose home it is you're staying in! I could just throw you out so at least show me a little respect!"

"Fine," Natsumi jumped up to her feet. "I didn't ask for your help anyway. Thank you for the last few days but I refuse to stay her and be yelled at by some idiot!"

"Some idiot?" Date stood to his feet. "And who's the one yelling here?"

Kojuro sat there and watched as the two of them argued back and forth. He was in total shock. Never before had he seen Masamune act like this; with anyone. Not even when he was a child. It was like they were a pair of time-bombs with eachother and if they had been any two other people, Kojuro would have been laughing his ass off.

Date and Natsumi glared at eachother as they both came to a stop, breathing hard. Natsumi turned to leave again when the pain in her side caught her and she stumbled. If Date hadn't of move, she would have fallen to the floor.

"I gotcha," He told her, pulling her up in his arms.

"Put me down," She grunted, holding her side.

"Shut it and just deal with it," Date told her, moving towards the bed that had been set up with her. "You got fire, tiger," He grinned as he pulled the covered up over her. "But wait to use it until you're completely healed, understand? I'd hate to see all that go to waste, Noba."

Natsumi frowned at the name before turning her head from her to glare at the wall. Date gave Kojuro a nod. "Get some rest. I'll send someone in the morning to help you with a bath."

Natsumi didn't say a word and didn't move until the door shut and the two sets of footsteps moved away from her door. Wiping the small tear from her eye, she sat back up and crawled to the soup again, ignoring the twanging pain in her body as the smell of the food led her across the room. She sat there and ate, pleased that she was left alone for the remainder of the night.

As she stared up at the night sky, she felt her tears swell up. Tears over the pain she had endured. The hatred she felt. The dishonor she was sure she was to be given. And even worse, the pain from the guilt she now felt upon her shoulders. She had just left him there without a word, without a thought or farewell. The moment that he had agreed to take… she had left him to what fate would give him.

Sitting there, she gave herself a silent promise. After winter she would be gone from here and away from Japan; overseas to try and get as far away as possible from the life she wanted to leave behind. Never again would she face any of those that had betrayed her; never again would she have to look at him and face the outcome of what she had let happen…

"I couldn't stop them. Stop him. I couldn't save you… Azai," She mumbled, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


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